GAME ON
Houston will host inaugural ESPN collegiate esports competition
Apr 29, 2019, 11:24 am
ESPN's inaugural esports competition for college students is premiering at Comicpalooza. Jamie McInall/Pexels
This article originally appeared on InnovationMap and was written by Natalie Harms.
For the first time ever, ESPN is hosting the Collegiate Esports Championship, and it's chosen Houston's 11th annual Comicpalooza to host it on May 10 to May 12 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"We are honored ESPN has chosen Houston and Comicpalooza for their inaugural Collegiate Esports Championship," says Michael Heckman, Comicpalooza president and senior vice president at Houston First, in a release. "Each year we strive to provide unique experiences for our different pop culture fandoms. Esports is undoubtedly popular and expanding. Teaming up with ESPN to bring the CEC here allows us to engage our audiences in a completely new, exciting way."
Students from hundreds of schools have competed to make it to the semifinals and championship in Houston, and scholarships are on the line. The weekend will have 22 teams across five video games — Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, StarCraft II, and Street Fighter V — according to ESPN.
"As universities continue to grow their esports programs at the varsity, non-varsity and club levels, we're proud to be providing a platform for national exposure and recognition of some of the most talented players in the collegiate space," says John Lasker, vice president of Digital Media Programming for ESPN, in a release. "Through our collaboration with top publishers in the industry, players will be able to showcase their talent in high-level competition on some of the most prominent esports titles."
Continue reading on InnovationMap to find out about reserved seating and opportunities to meet the talent.
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Don't be surprised when the Rockets make a bold move. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
In today’s episode, we’re diving into the heart of the Houston Rockets’ offseason — the trade rumors, the dream scenarios, and the hard questions every fan is asking right now. Whether it's chasing stars or shuffling the role players, nothing is off the table.
We start by taking a serious look at Donovan Mitchell — is he the kind of talent worth giving up a major package for, or would he disrupt the current build? From there, we shift to the impact of injuries on trade value and ask: who should the Rockets move, and what’s the realistic return?
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Then there’s the Ace Bailey debate — is he the future or fool’s gold? We break down the hype vs. reality.
And of course, we had to touch on the Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors. If he’s committed to staying in the East, does that shut down any Houston hope — or was that pipe dream already dead?
Finally, we explore a wild card: Jrue Holiday to Houston. Could his leadership and defense be the missing piece? Or is it just a mismatch?
Plenty of hot takes, real questions, and trade-machine madness. Let’s talk Rockets.
Don't miss the video below as ESPN Houston's Jeremy Branham and Joel Blank break it all down.
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